


Vanity and pride

by lucystormborn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: F/M, I'm Sorry, M/M, Pride and Prejudice References, Slow Burn, classic literature challenge, it's complicated - Freeform, pride and prejudice au, this is going to be some really long shit so strap in
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucystormborn/pseuds/lucystormborn
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a young man in possession of a big house and a fortune must be in want of some company. Scorpius Malfoy is a suborn, arrogant aristocrat... or at least that's what Albus potter thinks. Albus potter is hopeless romantic with a love for reading and a suborn demeanor. As their differences drive them to explosions of whit, can they find some common ground. ((modern Pride and prejudice AU as part of my classical literature challenge.))





	1. a truth universally awknowlaged

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a challenge to write classic litrature inspired fandom stories. If your intrested in joining in or helping decide which ship/ classic book I should do next; feel free to message me at @thebreathingsofmyheart on my new tumblr.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a young man in possession of a large house and fortune must be in want of some company" or at the very least it is according to Mrs Ginny Potter who was, at this very moment, busying herself in an uproar about the welfare about some family she hardly knew. Mrs Potter was of an infinitely charitable nature; Albus, her middle and perhaps most disappointing child, had often thought that if she were able, Mrs Potter would have the entirety of London round for tea and biscuits. On this particular day, she seemed to most delight in the idea of aiding an old rival of her husbands- a Mr Draco Malfoy, who had fallen on particularly hard times following the untimely death of his beloved wife. "Have you heard that the Malfoys have moved back in town?" she asked no one in particular, at dinner that night. Her husband replied that he had not, and that he was not much inclined to keep up with gossip surrounding Draco Malfoy in any event. Here ensued a brief discourse between the two in which Ginny Potter tried to convince Mr Potter (Harry) that they should call upon him and invite him for dinner ("if only for the sake of the boy" she said "he is about Albus' age after all") and Mr Potter affirmed that nothing could induce him to do so.

Arguments like this were fairly standard in the potter household; Harry and Ginny potter were the kind of people who dealt with their problems upfront, usually quite loudly. While this is not a terrible philosophy to live by, and perhaps doesn't test their relationship so much as it might if they were otherwise inclined- it does provide a rather odd atmosphere for the children of the house. The potters had three children; The eldest was a headstrong boy by the name of James, who was liked by everyone he met and instantly successful in all his ventures. The youngest too was something of a golden girl, sweet and gentle Lily charmed the eye of anyone who looked upon her. Then there was Albus who was...Perhaps somewhat less lucky with the gene-pool. Albus was a gloomy child, with few talents and a grand total of one friend (if cousins even count as friends.) He took great pleasure in reading and mocking his brother's many successes but in truth, nothing could overcome the darkness of a child as lonely as this one. 

The argument of course was settled with Lily's velvet smile, once flashed at her father the matter was settled. "Alright I’ll call on them Gin." he muttered, earning an earnest smile from his wife "but no inviting them round for dinner. Agreed?" The three potter children proceeded to place bets on who would win on that front (Lily and James had every confidence that their mother wouldn't go against her word, while Albus thought she'd find a way to invite them no matter what.) Harry Potter was a brave and ambitious man who had conquered just about everything apart from fatherhood. His lack of fatherly affection was by no means his only fault, he was arrogant and consumed by his work. There could be no doubt that Harry had had a difficult life but he'd never struggled with anything so much as he struggled now, trying to connect to his lost middle child.

Albus ended up sorely out of pocket that day, his father held quite firm on the "No Malfoys round for tea" front and it was almost five days until Albus even heard the name mentioned in the house again. It just so happened that a friend of the potters (a Mrs LScamanderaccording to the invite Albus had quickly managed to glimpse) was holding a ball for her latest successes as a journalist. Another, far more heated argument broke out, on this subject. Apparently, Ginny potter had asked Mrs Scamander to invite the Malfoys, which Harry was naturally furious about. The three children, having heard the name so much mentioned in the past week, began to wonder what could possibly be so special about the Malfoys that they cause so much fuss. "I heard that Scorpius is the most handsome boy of his age in the entirety of London." Lily announced while they were all eavesdropping on their parents upstairs. "who's Scorpius?" that was James who was currently ducking behind the banister trying to make out his mother's words. 

"His son obviously. He's the same age as Albus, mum was saying" 

"Well let's face it Albus isn't much conversation."

Albus proceeded to roll his eyes and hit his brother on the shoulder. Secretly this new information about Scorpius Malfoy puzzled him somewhat, how can someone be the most handsome boy in London after being here for a week? And if he was so handsome and popular, why did he leave London in the first place? A part of Albus couldn't help but buy into the mystery of it all, it delighted him to imagine all the things that Scorpius Malfoy might be. He might for instance be handsome and popular, he might be quite interesting. Perhaps he could dance much better than Albus or always knew the right words to say. In the endless possibilities of this stranger, Albus constructed the idea of a perfect man, the kind of man he'd want to be.

That all changed quite rapidly of course, the second he actually met him. 


	2. The illusive Mr Malfoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm still dyslexic so if you see something that's spelled wrong please feel free to tell me. I have re-read through it but who knows. I might have missed something. Sorry for leaving it a year. Idk why I didn't post it earlier because I had it written. I'll keep posting the rest of what I've written as soon as I've edited it and try to continue on from their

If Albus had thought the talk of the Malfoy's would quickly melt away when his siblings tired of it, he'd been sorely mistaken. All of the family seemed caught up in the excitement (or in Harry's case dread) of meeting the pair. Even Albus' cousin Rose (who was a great believer in the power of common sense) seemed to have been pulled in to the buzz of it all. She told Albus over dinner one night that Scorpius was reportedly"exceedingly handsome, well mannered and rich" which apparently meant he was the perfect catch. The confirmation of his good manners and good looks only encouraged Albus' glorification of the young man, by now there was quite no one who could rival the image he'd conjured of Scorpius Malfoy in any respect,

Rose proceeded to spend another ten minutes listing his known achievements both academic and otherwise. All of this seemed a little ridiculous to Albus, surely someone couldn't be handsome, nice, rich, clever _and_ attractive, but there was one thing which caught his interest in her account. After Rose felt she had created a sufficiently god-like account of Scorpius' character, she had opened the floor up to questions. Albus didn't want Rose to think he was obsessing over the young man so he resolved to stay silent. That is- of course- until James asked about Draco Malfoy. What Rose knew about Draco she wouldn't say, but the look in her eye when she glanced at her mother said all of it for her. After dinner, when she and Albus were alone, she quietly told him that her Mother and Draco Malfoy had a particularly explosive relationship. She insinuated (though annoyingly refused to give details) that Draco Malfoy had gone to school with their parents but some terrible action on his part had caused them to part ways, and not on the best of term. Rose refused to say any more on the subject so the mystery remained mysterious. And Scorpius, remained ever more so. 

There were a thousand questions about a thousand subjects littering his head as he dressed for the Luna's charity ball, all of them surrounding the mystery that had infected the Potter household over the last week. If Scorpius was so Clever, why hadn't he gone to Hogwarts? Everyone knew that Hogwarts was the best wizarding school in Europe- if not the world. Why had they never heard of him or seen him before is their parents had known him so well? What had Draco Malfoy done to cause such friction between the two families? 

"are you coming squib?" James was standing in Albus doorway, making a show out of wolf whistling at his suit jacket 

"It's time we saw the marvellous Malfoy's for ourselves. Don't you think" muttered Lily from beside him, her red hair falling in neat curls around her head. 

"Why bother Lil? Albus is already in love" and with that James took the opportunity to pull him by the elbow out of his room and down to the living room where their parents were waiting. 

"Albus" his mother tutted when she caught sight of him, she smoothed his tie "You could try a little harder with you're appearance. All the great wizarding families will be there you know, you don't want to look like a fool" Though her words were sharp her voice was calm and soothing, she led her three children into their car and took her seat beside their father. There was an uncertainty between the Potters on this night, Albus might even have called it a frostiness. His Father didn't look at his mother even once the whole entire drive. He didn't say a word. There was a distance to the way he looked off out of the window, if Albus didn't know him as well as he did, he might have thought that his father was afraid. 

Their driver pulled up into the driveway of a rather large, and very eccentric house. His father was the first to get out, he didn't turn around to look at them or move to open his mothers door, he simply stood with his back to them and waited for them to catch up. 

"he's in a foul mood" James whispered as their mother got out of the car. 

"And it'll somehow be my fault no doubt" Albus muttered in return, getting out and slamming the car door shut behind him.

* * *

 

The Scamanders house was beautiful, decorated with large paintings of magical creatures and little wooden statues of- Well Albus wasn't sure what. It only took a few steps into the house for Albus to feel drastically under dressed. Their were wizards wearing beautiful and decedent dress coats, witches in long and elegant dresses. Albus saw one woman with what looked like phoenix feathers in his hair. Though he would deny it many times to his brother later on that evening, he couldn't help searching through the crowd for a man he thought fitted Scorpius' description. He wouldn't be hard to spot, Albus knew all of the boys his age who would be at a party like this, he knew all of them except for Scorpius. And if Scorpius was as Handsome as everyone said he was, surely he would stand right out. 

"Albus. Albus you're mum has been looking for you" Albus whipped around to see Rose, radiant as ever smiling at him. "She has someone to introduce you to." The words made Albus feel a little Giddy. What if his mother was about to introduce him to Scorpius Malfoy, he was surely about to meet the man that had been the product of so much Gossip. He let Rose lead him over to where his mother seemed to be entertaining a crowd- Without his father by her side he noticed. His mother had a young man with dark skin and darker hair smiling at her attentively, a tall woman with white hair positively captivated by what she had to say. Albus Knew from what Rose had told him that the Malfoy's had white hair to, he'd never until now wondered about Scorpius' mother. Perhaps, he thought, this tall and rather odd looking woman was her. He didn't have to wonder for long, his mother put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into the circle the moment she arrived.

"Scorpius, This is Luna Scarmander. She's an old friend, and this is her husband Rolf. This is Albus, my son" Albus shook Mrs and Mr Scamders hands in turn. The woman was even more odd up close, and the man looked at him as if he were reading a book.

"Albus. The dreaded middle child, you're father writes to me often about you. Baffled I think, quite baffled. " Luna muttered, his mother shifted at the mention of Albus' tough relation with his father and quickly shuffled Albus aside. 

"I'll go try to find Lily. You should meet her too Luna. She'll be around here somewhere." 

Albus watched his mother disappear into the crowd. She was embarrassed by him. Embarrassed to have such a useless, unworthy son. His head felt heavy, like his body was covered in think, heavy led that was weighing him down and it would consume him if he moved to much or thought too much. All of the excitement he'd felt to be here had melted away. Now everything looked pale, horrible, murky. 

"Quite mad isn't she" Albus whipped around to find the owner of the voice, he was sure he had never heard it before. "Lucky for me. I don't suppose I'd be here if she wasn't. You'd have to be mad to invite my father here... With these people" The young man cast a glance over the crowd, Albus was sure his eyes rested for a moment on his father. 

 

The boy was tall, taller than Albus. He wasn't unattractive by any means, his hair was white and his eyes were of such a piercing blue that Albus felt as if they were piercing through him. His smile was disarming, the corners of his lips turned up in a way that made him look like he constantly found everything funny. 

"Scorpius Malfoy" he muttered offering Albus his hand to shake. "I don't believe we've met" his movements were all slow and lazy and there was an arrogance in the way he held himself. 

"Albus potter." 

"Potter?" he laughed, dragging his eyes lazily over Albus' body in a way that made him feel small. "That explains a lot." 


	3. Snakes among sweet flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is quite long so it's very possible I missed things in the editing, please feel free to point out anything that doesn't sit right with you and shout at me for any spelling mistakes. I'm dyslexic so I won't get offended if you correct me, I know I can't spell.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Albus asked. He'd been looking at Scorpius and shaking his hand for a good minute now, was this how long a handshake was supposed to last?  
"Just that I wouldn't have introduced myself if I'd known" Scorpius removed his hand and went about dusting down his collar. Albus hadn't noticed how Scorpius was dressed before. He was wearing a green velvet coat that buttoned at his waist, atop a black shirt and tie. He cut quite the figure like that with his blonde hair falling about his eyes. Rose was right, he was exceedingly handsome.  
"Why not?" Albus asked after staring at Scorpius for just a moment too long.  
Scorpius seemed to be enjoying his discomfort, enjoying that he knew something Albus didn't. He smiled in a way that made Albus both furious and completely captivated.  
"Well because we Malfoys get on famously with potters. Famously badly that is" Albus found himself leaning in to Scorpius as he spoke, his voice was so crisp and quiet that he had to press close to hear it in the crowd. Later on that night Albus would wonder if Scorpius had done it on purpose, pulling him in just to shut him down.  
"Why don't they get on? Our parents. What did your father do?"  
Scorpius' had beautiful eyes, beautiful but distant. "What did my father do? What didn't he do, that might be more accurate." Albus noticed Scorpius glance scornfully over at a blonde man standing about a meter from them, it was not a look you would expect from a loving son. "back when they were at Hogawarts my father...." Scorpius trailed off, he was looking behind Albus at something that seemed to cause him great distress. Albus felt a hand resting on his shoulder. 

"Mr Potter Sir." Scorpius muttered, bowing his head slightly as if he were speaking to the queen. "Scorpius Malfoy. I don't believe we've..."

"I know who you are Malfoy." his father interrupted, spitting the name Malfoy as it were poison. "Do yourself a favour and stay away from Albus. Stay away from my son." Albus looked startled. His father rarely owned that they were related in public and he certainly wasn't the protective type. He steered Albus away from Scorpius, making a direct B-line for where his mother was standing. "Ginny." he announced "We're going. Now"

And thus began the biggest argument Albus had ever seen his parents have.

* * *

Albus' parents spoke in hushed voices, but fast and still somehow angry. Albus could only make out little parts of what they were saying. At first they argued because Albus' mother didn't want to go back, she thought it was rude and didn't see why they should. That wasn't uncommon, no two people could agree on everything and his mother wasn't the type of Person who'd blindly agree to things just because her husband said so. The next part of the argument was the scary part. Albus had no idea what his father had said to set it off, but for once in his life he didn't envy his dad. 

"Harry James Potter" his mother shouted, now not even pretending to whisper "Don't you dare talk like that. Not to me. Not about my son." Since James had been away all night and if his father was bad mouthing his children it would probably be him, Albus assumed he was the subject of the conversation. "He was just talking. That's all. I'd encourage him to. It might be nice for him to make a new friend."

"not that friend. He's dangerous"

"You don't know him Harry, you don't even really know Draco, not any more. They have both been through so much." 

"And who knows what that would push a man like Draco to do."

"His son is just a boy Harry. And if Albus thought he was in danger he would walk away. He's not an idiot" 

"Well apparently he is" Harry regretted those words as soon as he'd said them, Albus could see it in his eyes. His mothers eyes on the other hand were burning, she was furious, beyond furious. 

"You will live to regret that Harry" 

"Gin I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that." 

"I don't know, I really don't what trails and hardship have done to a man like Draco, but I know what they have done to you. How could you distrust him. Albus. Al. your own son." and with that his mother stormed off somewhere into the crowd. Albus had never felt sorry for his father before, but in this moment, staring into the spot where his mother had been, he was a miserable sight. 

 

By the time the party was drawing to a close Albus had changed his mind at least three times as to whether he should like Scorpius Malfoy or not. He seemed cival enough, if a little arrogant. Then again the way he talked so slow and carefully like he was talking to an idiot did make Albus burn just a little. The fact that his father disliked Scorpius was almost a bonus in his eyes, but whatever his father had done to his family seemed like something major, something even Albus wouldn't use to spar with. When he managed to find James and Lily, the three of them sat for a moment and exchanged the stories they'd heard tonight surrounding the Malfoys. 

"Teddy said that though he'd never met the boy, he'd worked with someone in the ministry that said he owed his job and his life to Draco Malfoy" James began. Teddy was Harry Potter's godson, he was very close to the Potter family since neither of his parents were alive. "But when I told Dad about that he laughed and said that Draco probably paid him to say that." 

"He was like that with me too" Lily agreed, flicking a ginger curl out of her eyes "I tried to get him to tell me about them but he wouldn't budge, Rose said she spoke to him and that she at least thinks he's a nice enough boy." 

"But Rose thinks everyone is nice Lil. That's not a decider" 

"Well I spoke to him too" Albus muttered quietly, he'd been silent so far. His head was so full of thoughts about Scorpius and Draco Malfoy, he hadn't wanted to speak untill he got them all together. 

"You did" James nearly fell of his chair, he was leaning so far forward waiting for Albus to speak.  "What was he like?"

"He was..... Quiet and sort of proud. He wasn't God's gift like everyone keeps saying but he wasn't the devil either. He was just a boy. Nothing special." Albus hadn't realised that he thought that until he said it. "I just wish I knew what he'd done to upset dad so much?" 

"Oh well that's easy" Lily was smiling up at the boys, they both whipped around to look at her "He was a death eater... Well I mean I don't know what he did to them personally. But that's why everyone is so wary of them, he fought for Voldemort in the war. Fought against Dad I suppose." 

"Who Scorpius did?" James asked, obviously not putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"No idiot. Draco was." 

 

Albus couldn't quite process this new information, where did it sit with the rest of the things he'd learned about Scorpius. He spent the whole rest of the night thinking about it, still unable to decide exactly what his feelings were. He might have gone home quite pleased with his meeting with Scorpius Malfoy, might even have thought he quite liked him, he might have if he hadn't overheard a conversation between the boy and his father. 

"We have to try Scorpius. We can't stay outsiders all of our life." Albus could see now that Draco was a highly dignified man, he knew where Scorpius got his looks from.

"I just don't see why it had to be tonight. I don't know any of these people. I'm not like them." 

"you could be Scorpius, if you just tried a little harder." 

"I can't. How could I happily stand next to the great Harry potter."

"Is that what this is about? Scorpius he won't bother you. He wouldn't dare."

"It's a little late for that." 

"Surely not. What did he say" Draco Malfoy was clearly unsure how to handle his son, he reached out his hand to put it on Scorpius' shoulder, but thought better of it and retracted it. 

"It doesn't matter. I just.... I just can't talk to anyone here."

"I saw you talking to Potter's youngest boy. He must about your age. You're equal in most respects."

"Heaven forbid" Scorpius was making a show out of rolling his eyes. Perhaps he enjoyed vexing his father "That I consider Albus potter as my equal. He knows as well as I do that he is far from that." 

 


	4. The dreaded middle child

Albus spent the whole way home sulking and thinking about the things he had heard. When his sister asked him if he'd heard anymore from Scorpius, he scoffed and muttered "Oh I'm not worthy of his company, apparently. " which they all took as a fairly grave sign. The rest of the car ride was eerily silent, lots of his mum's siblings had been at the party, usually she'd be chattering away about how uncle George had made a killing this year in sales or how uncle Bill was thinking of retiring. Albus knew that her silence meant that she'd taken the argument with his father very seriously. Lily and James were silent as well, though their silence was different. Lily's silence was anxious, the kind she always had when their parents fought. James' though was calm, he kept smiling to himself and gazing out the window. After regarding him for a long moment, Albus couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility that he'd been kidnapped and replaced with a much more mellow version of himself. 

The rest of the night went painfully slowly, Albus found himself restless when thinking about the events earlier that night. The silence of their house, which was usually so full of music and sounds, didn't do anything to calm his nerves. Albus couldn't bring himself to focus on any one pursuit for very long but James couldn't seem to focus long enough to even hold a conversation.   
"What is wrong with you today James? You're totally out of it. " Albus asked after beating him in a particularly easy game of chess.   
"Nothing. I'm just thinking. "   
"That's a first. "   
James punched him on the shoulder.  
"What are you thinking about? Did some girl catch your eye at the party?"   
James coloured slightly at the suggestion but quickly shook it off.   
"No Albus. I think you are mistaking me for you. I am not so easily disarmed by a pretty face" 

Albus didn't know what that was supposed to mean but he didn't have time to ask, Lily shot into the room and abruptly told them that their parents had finally made up. Apparently their mum had said something about heroics and exploding snap that lily hadn't really understood but it managed to calm dad enough for her to knock sense into her. Though Albus was relived that his parents were no longer fighting, and he had no doubt whatsoever that his mother would win this fight from the start, he couldn't help but feel that for once his father was closer to right than his mother was. 

The following week passed in a blur, by the time Friday came around Albus had almost forgotten about his interaction with Scorpius altogether and what little gloom remained on the subject was quickly washed away with the thought of what the weekend was bringing. On Friday Teddy was arriving to stay for a week. James had apparently seen plenty of Teddy at the party but Albus hadn't seen him for almost half a year. There was almost nothing that could make Albus less excited to see him. 

Teddy's arrival was highly anticipated in the house, Harry had been cooking all day, his wife had been buzzing around cleaning and shouting at her children to do one job or other. If Albus hadn't been just as excited to see Teddy as his parents appeared to be, he might have argued with all of the extra housework. 

"Wonders will never cease to exist, the potter children doing housework?" Albus heard a voice call out as they were setting the table "Look they've even got Albus playing maid. I've never seen the likes. "   
Lily practically launched herself at Teddy, he caught her mid air and threw his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. Next he went to James, their hug was shorter but somehow, more intimate. By the time he got to Albus he'd got his usual grin beaming across his face.   
"And how is the dreaded middle child?" Teddy asked as he pulled Albus into a hug.  
"As good as you can be with these two idiots around."

Albus liked Teddy a lot better than he liked most people, he had an easy, gentle temperament and the ability to make anyone laugh at any given moment. True to fashion, Teddy gave a laugh and ruffled Albus hair. He then turned his attention to the master of the house. Whatever Harry Potter lacked in easy affection for his own children he more than made up for in his love for Teddy. When he saw Teddy, he gave him a quick but meaningful hug and they started talking in low voices about their work. 

It wasn't until later, when they were all sitting at lunch, that the name of Malfoy once again entered the conversation.   
"I hear that you had quite the eventful run in with little lord Malfoy, the whole party last night was talking of your inevitable marriage. " Teddy remarked as he made his way through Harry's generously prepared lunch.   
"Did you also hear that he was nothing but cold and conceited to me?"   
"I heard that's his way. " Teddy shrugged and at Albus' questioning look then added "His father is a difficult man- brilliant, but difficult. It doesn't surprise me Scorpius was a little awkward with you, I can't imagine he ever had a great many friends. " Albus cut him off with a laugh.   
"He wasn't awkward with me, he was rude- there is a difference" 

Teddy didn't reply right away, but his face made it clear that he didn't agree. He quietly contemplated his food for a moment before turning back to Albus.   
"I can't believe he can be all that bad, every account I've heard of him has been in his favour. "   
"Well you haven't met him. He's insufferable. " Albus said shortly.   
Teddy still seemed unconvinced "Well I suppose we'll see soon enough. "   
"What do you mean we'll see?" 

Teddy could see that he'd startled Albus and the familiar grin returned to his face.   
"Didn't you know? We're going to that reunion of your fathers school friends. Scorpius and Draco will be there. "   
For once in his life Albus wasn't sure he was enjoying Teddys visit, in fact he ardently wished teddy hadn't bothered to come.


	6. Reunion

 

Ah yes the reunion, it had long been a subject of dread in Albus potter's mind, long before he knew Scorpius would be there. Albus had always hated any chance for his dad to put on the whole Harry Potter front, this was just going to make the whole thing all the more horrific.

Now he was doing everything in his power to avoid it. He tried to convince his mother he was too ill to go or that he would stay with his grandmother, or do pretty much anything if it meant he didn't have to go. Nothing worked. And so, they set off to London where they would stay for a week in the doddery old pub that served as the entrance to diagon alley. From there they would be subjected to meals and balls and all manner of horrific experiences with his father's friends.

Neither of his siblings seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, lily merely complained about having to see a professor out of school and James was too preoccupied with teddy to notice any unpleasantries. Even rose, who greeted him with a smile at the door of the leaky cauldron, didn't seem to foresee any unpleasant business ahead. She told Albus that he was being a fool, that Draco and Scorpius probably wouldn't even come, Draco had never really been his father's friend after all and no doubt he was invited out of pure pity.

For a while it looked like rose was right, they spent a pleasant half a day listening to Albus' uncle's jokes and shaking hands with old friends of the family and strangers who pretended to know their father extremely well. Professor longbottom, Albus' herbology teacher had apparently planned a dinner for almost every single student he'd encountered in his hogwarts years and their families. So a rather large section of the leaky cauldron was dedicated to this occasion. Just when Albus was finally beginning to think he could survive the first day, he was just about to sit between his parents to eat, that was simple, a terrible turn of events took hold. His mother had seated herself with the blonde girl whose party they had attended before (Luna was her name, Albus remembered) and professor longbottom and his wife. Albus's father was sat at almost the other side of the table with his aunt and uncle and rose. James and teddy were sat in a different corner, chatting with their uncle Bill.

Albus was now faced with a terrible choice, if he sat by his mother he would be subjected with conversation with a woman he didn't know and a professor and he would do anything to avoid that. If he sat with Albus and teddy he would be totally left out of anything they discussed. If he sat with his dad he was at the most risk of being accosted by strangers, but he would be surrounded by his aunt and uncle at least and that he was sure was the one place Draco Malfoy would avoid. That settled it, he pulled his sister over and sat beside rose, directly opposite his father.

For a short while he convinced himself that that was the right choice, his uncle told many bad jokes, his dad and aunt chatted idly about work at the ministry and for a time Albus forgot all about his fear of bumping into scorpius. Of course such contentment could not continue in this way for much longer and all appearance of tranquility in everyone in the room shattered the moment the Malfoys entered the room. Albus first noticed it when his aunt, who was talking about some very important ministry business, stopped talking mid-sentence and stared at a spot just behind Albus' head. Everyone had stopped eating, everyone had stopped taking, almost everyone was looking at Draco Malfoy like he was the strangest thing they had ever seen.

Surprisingly, it was Albus aunt who recovered first, though she had been the most affected.   
"Draco. We're glad you made it." She seemed to grimance a little bit and offer him a hand to shake. Albus was at the wrong angle to study Draco's reaction to the whole affair but rose would be glad to tell him later about how relived he looked at her kindness. "Come, take a seat. You're son knows Rose and Albus doesn't he? Come in a sit down, make room for them Ron"   
And so Albus found himself once again staring into scorpius Malfoy's wild grey eyes. Scorpius was quiet at first, more reserved than he had been the first time they met. After a moment of awkward silence between the two parties, Draco Malfoy seemed to recover himself and started thanking Albus' aunt Hermione for something and proceeded to rather gracefully take a severe verbal beating from uncle Ron. Scorpius did not take his fathers lead, any tension breaking was left entirely in the hands of Albus, Lily and Rose. Albus had never been less inclined to diffuse a situation, lily didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable Scorpius was, so the entirety of the conversation was left to rose.

The part suited rose well, she asked him if he was well, he replied that he was tolerably well. She asked him if he was enjoying London, he said he was though he found the city life somewhat overwhelming. The conversation went on much this way for the first half hour, dessert came and went with only trivial conversation and long silences. Now in the cold stark light of the leaky cauldron, all of the grace and effortless charm that Scorpius had exuded seemed to have melted away. He seemed no less proud and arrogant than he had before but there was something very still about him tonight, a detached sort of quietness that, Albus put down to pride, Scorpius was sitting there thinking he was so much better than everyone in the room. It made Albus hate him all the more.

Albus made not looking at Scorpius his top priority but it didn't stop him noticing how often Scorpius was looking at him. He wasn't staring at him or admiring him or anything like that, he was more sort of searching his features, as if he was trying to decide something. Albus tried to force himself not to notice, he didn't want to allow possibility of any emotion aside from contempt to enter his brain for Scorpius. He had decided to hate him. He had decided to see nothing but flaws in a face that had once appeared so attractive, determined to see only arrogance and cruelty in a manner that had once enthralled him so much . Determined to hate Scorpius as Albus was, there was something about Scorpius that made him keep looking back at him, now matter where he was or how little he tried, he always held the attention of the room... or Albus' attention at the very least.

 


End file.
